Jewish Prayers:
The Amidah

The Amidah is the central prayer of
all four services: shacharit (morning), mincha (afternoon), maariv (evening),
and mussaf (additional). The word Amidah literally
means standing, because it is recited while
standing. It is also known as Shemoneh
Esrei, meaning eighteen, because it originally
consisted of eighteen blessings, and as tefilah (prayer)
because it is the most important Jewish prayer.
The obligation to pray three times a day,
which was established by Ezra and codified
in the Talmud (Berakhot 26b),
is fulfilled by reciting the Amidah.

In the 5th century B.C.E.,
the 120 men of the Great Assembly composed
the basic text of the Amidah. The
exact form and order of the blessings were
codified after the destruction of the Second
Temple in the first century C.E. The Amidah was
expanded from eighteen to nineteen blessings
in the 2nd century C.E., under the leadership
of Rabbi Gamliel the Elder in Yavneh. The
additional blessing (against heretics) was
initially meant to combat the threats posed
by the Samaritan and Sadducee sects,
and was permanently added to the liturgy
when Jewish converts to Christianity began
to inform on Jews to the Roman authorities.

Laws
and Customs

One should stand with one's
feet together while reciting the Amidah as
a show of respect for God. The rabbis add
that this pose mirrors the vision of angels
that Ezekiel had in which the feet of the
angels appeared as one (Ezekiel 1:7).
The custom is to face the direction of Israel,
and if one is in Israel, to turn to Jerusalem and
the Temple
Mount. This shows respect for the Temples,
which were central to Jewish life, and reminds
one that the synagogue was
established to try to fill the gap in Jewish
life left by the Temples' destruction. In
many synagogues in the west, the ark is on
the eastern wall of the synagogue for this
reason.

The Amidah is a
person's opportunity to approach God in private
prayer, and should therefore be said quietly.
The words must be audible to oneself, but
one should be careful to pray softly enough
not to disturb others. If one is alone, it
is permissible to raise one's voice slightly
if it helps concentration. It is forbidden
to interrupt the Amidah even to greet
an important person. One should not even
acknowledge a greeting. Only a grave emergency
justifies interrupting the Amidah,
since it is considered a conversation with
God.

There are several interesting
customs relating to one's physical position
while saying the Amidah. Before one
begins the Amidah, it is customary
to take three small steps forward as if one
is approaching a king. Some say this was
derived from Abraham who "came forward" to
pray for the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah
(Genesis 18:23).
Where there is not much space, it has become
the practice to take several tiny steps back
before taking the three symbolic steps forward.
To humble oneself before God, one bends the
knees and bows at both the beginning and
the end of the first blessing while saying "Barukh
atah"
(Blessed are you). One should stand erect
in time to say God's name,
"Adonai." In the sixth blessing,
for forgiveness, when one says the words "hatanu" (we
have sinned) and "pashanu"
(we have transgressed), it is customary to
lightly beat once upon the chest with one's
right hand. This symbolizes that the heart
is the source of the temptation to sin. One
bows again during the eighteenth blessing,
for thanksgiving, both at the beginning,
during the words "Modim anahnu lakh" (We
thank you) and at the end with the words "Baruch
atah." At the end of the Amidah,
in the meditation after the last blessing,
before reciting the line, "Oseh shalom
bimromav,"
(He who makes peace in his heights) one takes
three steps backwards, mirroring the three
steps forward taken at the beginning. While
saying that line, it is customary to bow
three times: toward the left, toward the
right, and then forward. This is again symbolic
of a subject leaving a king.

The Amidah affords
the opportunity to insert one's private prayers.
During the eighth blessing, for healing,
many siddurim (prayer
books) include a prayer that asks God
to heal a specific person and has a place
to insert the name of anyone who is sick.
This is done by saying the person's Hebrew
name, then "ben" (son of)
or "bat"
(daughter of), and then his or her mother's
name (for example, Joseph ben Sarah or Miriam
bat Sarah). Personal requests may be made
during any of the blessings, but in the sixteenth
blessing specifically, which asks God to
hear our prayers, it is appropriate to insert
one's own requests. The appropriate place
in this blessing is after the words
"raykam al teshivanu" (do
not turn us away empty). These additional
prayers can be said in any language for any
need.

At every service except
for maariv, the chazzan (cantor)
repeats the Amidah after the congregation
has recited the prayer privately. This repetition
is called hazarat ha-shatz. It was
instituted originally for the benefit of
those who were not able to recite the Amidah properly
on their own. By listening and answering "Amen" at
the end of each blessing, these worshipers
fulfilled their obligation of prayer. The
reason the Amidah is not repeated
at maariv is because the Talmud treats maariv
as originally having been optional, meaning
that it does not have the same level of obligation.

During his repetition,
the chazzan adds a prayer called Kedushah (holiness),
which proclaims the holiness of God in the
language that the angels are said to have
used. Kedushah is said only with a minyan (quorem
of ten), and may not be interrupted for conversation.
Like the Amidah itself, it should
be said while standing with one's feet together.
Even if one happens to be present, and not
praying, while the Kedushah is recited,
one must stop what he is doing and join in.
It is customary to raise oneself slightly
on one's toes three times when saying Kadosh,
Kadosh, Kadosh (holy, holy, holy) to
symbolize the movement of the angels and
to reach towards God with one's whole body.
There are some minor differences between
the Sephardi and Ashkenazi texts
of Kedushah. One other change in hazarat
ha-shatz is that when the chazzan reaches
the blessing of thanksgiving (modim),
he recites the standard blessing while the
congregation recites silently the "Thanksgiving
Prayer of the Rabbis" (modim d'rabbanan),
which is a composite of short thanksgiving
prayers said by various Talmudic sages.

Order
and Content of the Blessings

There is a logical basis
for the order and content of the blessings.
One Talmudic source provides scriptural foundations,
another suggests that each is associated
with a historic or miraculous event, and
another relates the blessings of the Amidah
to the prayer of Hannah. Either way, the Amidah contains
three sections: a three-blessing introduction
made up of praises of God; thirteen petitions
to God for various needs; and a closing of
three blessings of thanksgiving. The model
for this structure is how one would approach
a powerful ruler or how a servant would approach
a master.

The Amidah is introduced
with a verse that requests, "Lord, open
my lips and my mouth will declare Thy praise"
("adonai sfatai ").
The first three blessings of praise appeal
to God as the protector of our forefathers,
and extol His powers and holiness. The blessings
of petition ask for six personal needs: knowledge,
repentance, forgiveness, redemption, health
and economic prosperity. They also plead
for six needs of the Jewish people: ingathering
of the exiled, restoration of justice, destruction
of Israel's enemies, reward for the righteous,
restoration of Jerusalem, and the coming
of the Messiah.
The final supplication asks God to hear our
prayers. The closing three blessings speak
of the hope of return to Temple worship,
thanksgiving to God, and a prayer for peace.
Following the Amidah, one says a meditation
that is based on the silent supplications
of various rabbis recorded in the Talmud.

Changes
in the Weekday Amidah

The only difference between
the Amidah of the different services
of the day is the final blessing, for peace.
In the Ashkenazi tradition,
a shorter version of this blessing, starting
with the words "shalom rav" is
said at mincha and maariv.
The reason for this is that the blessing
for peace is based on the themes of the Priestly
Blessing that was said in the time of the Temple and
this Priestly Blessing was not said in the
afternoons or evenings. In Hasidic liturgy,
the shorter version is said only at maariv,
indicating the different level of obligation
that maariv has. In the Sephardi tradition,
it is not said at all.

There are a few changes
to the Amidah based on the time of
year. Some changes are made between Rosh
Hashanah and Yom
Kippur. During these ten days, lines
are inserted in the first two and last two
blessings and slight changes are made in
the conclusions of the third and eleventh
blessings to stress the role of God as king
and judge. The line praising God as the bringer
of rain in the second blessing ("mashiv
haruach umorid hagashem") is said
only in the winter (between Shemini
Atzeret and the first day of Pesach)
since this is when rain is needed in Israel.
During the summer, the Sephardim, Hasidim,
and Ashkenazim who
live in Israel substitute a mention of dew
("morid hatal") instead
of rain. In the ninth blessing, for economic
prosperity, one adds the words "vten
tal umatar livracha" (give dew and
rain for blessing) in the winter, between
the night of December fourth and Pesach,
instead of simply "vten bracha"
(give blessing).

On the minor holidays on
which work is not restricted, the weekday Amidah is
still said. On intermediate days of holidays
and on Rosh
Chodesh (the new month), a prayer called ya'aleh
v'yavo is incorporated into the seventeenth
blessing, asking God to remember us for good
on the holiday. On Hanukah and Purim,
one adds a paragraph called al hanisim thanking
God for miracles and summarizing the story
of the holiday into the eighteenth blessing.
On mincha of fast days, the congregation
adds the prayer aneinu (answer us)
as part of the sixteenth blessing, begging
God to answer us in our time of trouble.
On Tisha
b'Av at mincha, one adds a paragraph
called nahem (comfort us) to the fourteenth
blessing, on Jerusalem (v'liyerushalayim).
Since Tisha b'Av commemorates the destruction
of the Temples, this is a prayer for consolation
on the destruction of Jerusalem.

Another addition is in
maariv on Saturday night. In the fourth blessing,
for knowledge (ata chonen), one adds atah
honantanu, a declaration of separation
between Shabbat and
the week. When a festival follows Shabbat,
one instead includes a paragraph beginning vatodi'einu that
talks of the distinction between the levels
of holiness of Shabbat and holidays.

The
Shabbat and Holiday Amidah

In all versions of the Amidah,
the first and last three blessings stay the
same. The middle thirteen blessings, however,
are said only on weekdays. On Shabbat and
holidays they are replaced by a single blessing
that relates to sanctification of the day.
The main reason for this is that the Talmud
says it is forbidden to ask for one's personal
needs on Shabbat. Doing so reminds one of
what is lacking, which takes away from the
feeling of spiritual and physical contentment
that should be present on Shabbat and holidays.
Others say that on Shabbat, one lives as
if the messianic age has arrived and therefore
has no need to petition God; the petitions
are thus eliminated and replaced with other
prayers. Parts of this middle blessing, the
paragraph that begins, "elohenu velohei
avotenu retze bmnuchatenu"
(Our God and God of our Father, be pleased
with our rest), and the part that contains
requests to "sanctify us through Thy
commandments,"
remain the same on every Shabbat and festival.
The beginning of this middle blessing changes,
however, between the three services of the
day. The Friday night service stresses God's
sanctification as it relates to the creation
of the world. The Shabbat morning service
speaks of God's command to Israel to keep
the Shabbat as set forth in the Ten
Commandments. The Shabbat afternoon service
stresses the unity of God and the singularity
of the Jewish people. Also, on all holidays,
but not on Shabbat, ya'aleh v'yavo is
incorporated into the middle blessing.

On Shabbat and holidays,
an extra Amidah is added to the service,
called tefilat musaf (additional prayer).
This has the same basic structure as the
other Shabbat Amidahs but stresses
the sacrificial offerings of the Temple in
the middle blessing. The only musaf that
is noticeably different from this pattern
is that of Rosh Hashanah. This Amidah, the
longest of the year, has a middle section
that contains three long blessings. These
are called Malkhuyot (kingship), which
emphasizes God's sovereignty over the world; Zikhronot (rememberances),
which stresses God's remembering the deeds
of men and the covenant; and Shofarot (sounding
of the ram's horn), which speaks of God's
revelation to Israel and of the ultimate
redemption.

Also on holidays, any kohanim (descendents
of the priestly tribe) recite the Priestly
Blessing (Birkat Kohanim) before the
last blessing of the chazzan's repetition
of the Amidah. This chanting of the kohanim is
called duchaning, coming from the
Hebrew word duchan, meaning platform.
In most of Israel and also in Sephardi congregations
everywhere, the kohanim chant the
blessing every day of the year during the
shacharit Amidah in accordance with the practice
in the Temple, and also during musaf whenever
it is said. In Ashkenazi synagogues outside
of Israel, the Priestly Blessing is recited
only during the musaf Amidah of Rosh
Hashanah, Yom
Kippur, Pesach, Succot,
and Shavout because
of an idea that the Priestly Blessing should
only take place in an atmosphere of cheerfulness,
and a holiday has extra happiness.

During the Priestly Blessing,
the kohanim come
to the front of the synagogue. Anyone sitting
behind the kohanim should come forward to
be included in the blessing. One should face
the kohanim and should stand with
the head bowed and eyes looking down as a
sign of respect and humility. One should
not look at the kohanim to allow better
concentration on the words, and to prevent
distraction both for oneself and for the kohanim.
Some say this is because of the Talmudic
statement that in the time of the Temple,
one's eyes would be weakened if he looked
at the hands of the Priests while they gave
their blessing.

Reform
Judaism's Changes to the Amidah

There are significant differences
between the traditional Amidah and
that said in Reform congregations.
The traditional liturgy has been revised
repeatedly by the Reform movement, in order
to shorten the service and omit passages
not in line with Reform doctrine. As a result,
references to a personal messiah as opposed
to a messianic age, resurrection of the dead,
restoration of the sacrificial cult, and
the existence of angels are all rephrased.
Changes have also been made to conform with
the egalitarian nature of Reform Judaism.

The first blessing is mostly
unchanged, except that it includes Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel,
and Leah in
addition to Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob,
in keeping with the egalitarian nature of
Reform Judaism, and in recognition of the
significant contributions of the Matriarchs.
Most Reform prayer books change the text
to read "redemption" instead of "a
redeemer." The second blessing talks
of resurrection of the dead, a doctrine not
accepted by Reform Judaism. It is amended
to affirm God as the source of all life who
has implanted within us eternal life. In
the third blessing about holiness of God,
the Hebrew that might literally be translated
as "holy beings" (angels) is changed
to "those who strive to be holy." With
regard to the middle blessings, the first
four are retained, although they are rewritten
in a gender-neutral language (For example,
God is referred to as a Sovereign or a Ruler,
and not a Father or a King). In the fifth
blessing (refaenu), the traditional "who
heals the sick of His people Israel"
is changed to "Healer of the sick" to
be more inclusive. In the sixth blessing,
for economic prosperity, the phrase "Bless
our year like other years" is omitted.
The next blessing, for ingathering of the
exiles (teka b'shofar), is rewritten.
The Reform version begins like the traditional
text, but in place of the petition for the
ingathering of the exiles, it goes on to
emphasize hope for universal freedom. The
blessing for justice (hashiva shofteinu),
is also rewritten to express the hope for
universal justice instead of the restoration
of Israel's judges. The blessing against
heretics (lemalshinim) is omitted.
The blessing for the righteous is abridged.
The blessing for Jerusalem is rewritten.
Instead of beseeching God to rebuild Jerusalem
and reestablish the Davidic monarchy, the
Reform version is a prayer for the present
and continuing welfare of the land and people
of Israel. It also alludes to the connection
between Zion and the messianic hope. In the
blessing concerning the Davidic
dynasty, the hope for restoration of
the Davidic commonwealth is broadened into
a concept of a Messianic Age. The last middle
blessing (shomea tfila) is abridged.
With regard to the last three blessings,
in the one on Temple worship, the traditional
references to sacrificial worship are omitted;
instead, a thought on the theme of God's
nearness to all who seek God with sincerity
is used. The blessing of thanksgiving uses
the complete text, rendered in gender-neutral
language. The content of the last blessing
is unchanged, although the translation is
more freely done.